Flexible, Pressure-sensitive Robot Skin

Researchers at the University of Tokyo Someya Lab
have been working on robot skin. The skin is a large-area, flexible,
rubber, pressure sensitive matrix with integrated organic field-effect
transistors. The flexible and inexpensive technology can even be used to
create sensitive robot hands and fingers. The research team has recently
published a new paper
(abstract only) which is summarize in today's Nature Science
update. Additional photos of the prototype
robot hand are available on the University of Tokyo website.